The Friendly War
by SBof805
Summary: This takes place the night after the end of the first season.
1. The Lonely Letter

**I don't own South of Nowhere, it belongs to Tom Lynch. And this story belongs to sonXluffer. I just wanted to post this story here.**

Ashley awoke in her cozy bed. Her eyes slowly opened as she looked at the wall she was facing. She expected to see Spencer on the opposite side of her. As the memories of the night before passed through her mind, her mouth formed a smile and she began to tiredly turn over.

The second she flipped over she saw no one was there. She wondered why. Was it just a dream? Did it even happen? Ashley remembered kissing and stopping. And then kissing again, and then falling asleep. She searched the blankets for some hint of existence of Spencer from the night before. She saw a sheet of paper laying on the pillow. The pillow indented from the head of someone else. And there it was. The existence she was looking for. The reassurance.

She looked at the paper which had bubbly letters written in pink gel ink. It was written roughly on the paper indenting it with every line and dot. Worry searched through Ashley's head once again. Where had she gone? Did she regret it?

Ashley finally forced herself to read the paper that lay there in loneliness.

_Dear Ashley,_

_I'm sorry to have left. My dad called. Glen broke his leg playing basketball on the public park. I needed to go home. Im really sorry._

_About last night..._

Once again, that agonizing worry rushed through Ashley's veins like a flood of water going to her heart and causing it to skip every other beat. She continued reading anyways.

_Last night was good for me and you. For you it was probably nothing new. But for me it was. And it was special. I felt safe being with you throught the night. Im sorry i didnt let you get further. But I just wasnt ready for that yet._

_I guess I better go. Call me when you get up._

There was a scribble over some words. Ashley ignored it and continued reading.

_-Spence_

Ashley had this dying need to know what it said underneath the scribble she tried everything to read it. Finally she held it up to the light making it easier to see. It said "I love you".

With that a smile rushed over Ashley's face. But she knew Spencer was wrong. It was different for her. It was not like anyone else she had ever been with. Although all they had done was kissed. It was better than any one person could do going all the way.

It was the way Spencer would look at Ashley and the way she called her 'ash'. It was the way spencer was beautiful in the models could never be. To Ashley, Spencer was heaven sent.

Ashley bit her bottom lip between her top and bottom row of teeth and picked up the phone. She dialed Spencer's number very fast. She had it memorized down the the last hyfen in its existence. Spencer picked up with a simple greeting and Ashley couldn't speak.

"Ashley?" Spencer asked not knowing what to expect, but she said it with a smile that Ashley could not see.

"H-hey Spence." Ashley finally muttered out this statement in a nervous tone. She finally calmed her breathing and steadied her voice to continue talking. "How is Glen?"

Spencer was suprised at the topic Ashley chose but she went along with it. "He is fine. It is just a mild break. He'll be in a cast for a while."

Ashley just sat there listening to Spencer's voice. There was nothing on the line but a few inhales and exhales of breath. Ashley finally pushed out unwanted words. "So what are you doing tonight?"

Spencer was now getting the conversation she wanted the whole time. "Nothing. Unless you want to hang out tonight. In that case I'm doing something" Spencer's statement was more of a questioning tone as she thrusted her palm onto her forehead in regret of sounding stupid.

"I'd love to hang out tonight. I'll come pick you up in about an hour. Ill talk to you then i lo-" Ashley stopped herself from saying the words Spencer couldn't even write. So she covered it up. "I'llllll see you then. Bye."

Ashley hung up the phone and began rushing to get ready.


	2. The Things You Say

**I don't own the show or the story.**

Ashley drove and drove until she reached the Carlin's driveway. She sat there a moment in thought and then finally called Spencer on her cell phone.

"I'm here." She spoke and hung up the phone. Ashley sat there for what felt like an hour waiting. But it was only 2 minutes. The world never seemed to move for Ashley unless she was with Spencer.

Spencer finally opened the front door and rushed out to the driveway. She had apparently been very anxiouse for her next encounter with Ashley.

She got in the car without a word or a glance. Not until Ashley backed out of the driveway. Spencer slowly lifted her hand off the armrest and pushed it towards one of the hands on the steering wheel but pulled back an inch. She went forward anyways. She lightly peeled the hand off the steering wheel and held it in hers. She brought it back on the arm rest without looking at Ashley.

She knew that whenever she looked at Ashley, she couldn't look away. She would stare for hours if she had the chance. So Spencer looked out the window as they pulled into Ashley's driveway. Ashley finally pushed out some words she had wanted to say.

"We can hang out here until later. I have something planned for tonight." She siged in relief of getting the words out of her mouth. Spencer agreeded and then just as she let go of Ashley's hand to open the car door Ashley pulled her back in.

"What?" Spencer spoke without a meaning as Ashley grasped Spencer's cheek in her palm very lightly. She looked into Spencer's eyes deeply looking for meaning. Spencer's eyes darted from Ashley's lips to her eyes and back at her lips. She slowly moved in and planted a kiss on Ashley's lips that will imprint a memory on Ashley's mind.

Ashley kisses back but the second the kiss is intesified by the thrust of a tounge, Spencer's cell phone rings. She picks it up in anger and Ashley sighs the same.

"Hello?" Spencer spoke.

"Where did you go? You were not supposed to leave home today. Glen needs you." Paula spoke with intensity knowing Spencer was with Ashley.

"Mom, Glen borke his leg. He isn't going to just die randomly. Okay?" Spencer spoke with more attitude she had ever given her mother. She could feel the sting of a slap across her face. It wasn't a literal slap, but it was from the way Paula was silent for a while with heavy breathing anger.

She finally spoke. "That girl has changed you. She has changed you and I don't like it! Now you have two choices. Come live at home. Or continue to hang out with Ashley, and you can live with her." Spencer was shocked. Paula didn't know they were dating, but this was such a strong ultimatum for her being with a friend.

Spencer looks at Ashley worriedly as she thinks for a second and ponders.

_Ashley is amazing and I love her to death. But what if she doesn't feel the way I do? What if she is in this for one thing. The make-out sessions. Where would I be if she broke my heart? She would never break my heart. She handles me like a million dollar piece of fine china._

"I'll be right home mom." With that Spencer hung up. And looked at Ashley.

Ashley could hear the whole conversation because of the loudness of Spencer's phone. Ashley had tears in her eyes and a burning in her heart. Before she let her tears fall she started the car and put both hands tightly on the wheel. Her knuckles were white. Spencer spoke to Ashley.

"Ashley, I'm-" Spencer was cut off by Ashley's intense verbal emotion.

"Save it. I don't need this in my life. I have more important things to worry about." Ashley's words even shocked herself. It was a lie. Spencer was the most important thing in her life. She didn't want to give that up but she had no choice. She did what she had to do and tried hard to brush it off. As she drove Spencer home on the longest, most quiet car ride of her life.


	3. I Need You

As Ashley pulled into the driveway, she looked at the Carlin residence, taking it in. The last time she will ever see it, the last time she wants to see it.

"It was her choice" Ashley thought as they sat in silence.

Spencer looked at her home and then back at Ashley in regret of her own horrible decision. She is on the verge of a breaking point. She couldn't believe her own choice. She waits until Ashley turns her head slowly looking at Spencer.

"I'm sorry. Okay? I really am." Spencer spoke. "We can still see each other at school, you know?"

Ashley looked at Spencer with tears in her eyes. She darted her eyes going between Spencer's lips to her eyes. She wanted to kiss her so bad. "No. We can't." Ashley spoke quietly and softly.

"Why not?" Spencer was confused.

"Because you have made your choice. You've taken my breath, and my life with you." Ashley spoke so quietly trying to hold back the tears. Finally they came streaming down her face. Her lips tightend in a downward arch. As she stared at Spencer. Spencer slowly wiped away Ashley's tears with her thumbs.

Ashley loves the feeling of Spencer's touch. She closes her eyes. This feeling is usually sensual. Usually so loving. Now it burned through her and she squinted her eyes in pain.

Ashley opened her eyes as Spencer pulled her hands away and Ashley put her right hand around the back of Spencer's neck forcing her into a kiss. She slowly opened her mouth and reclosed it encasing Spencer's lips. She slowly slid her tounge through the barrier of Spencer's lips.

It felt so horrible because they both knew it was over. Ashley doesn't want to pull away but she does. She is reattracted like a magnent. She kisses Spencer's cheek softly and then begins to kiss Spencer's soft skinned neck. She pulls away and looks at Spencer's eye that were asking her why she just made everything harder.

Spencer slowly got out of the car and shut the door behind her. But she looked inside the open window.

"Ashley. You've made this harder. Just say that you'll see me at school tomorrow?" Spencer spoke with tears.

"The reason I kissed you is because I wanted you to be the last one to touch my lips. " Ashley spoke in words that confused Spencer. What did she mean? Spencer finally realized it and put her head into the window.

"Ashley, no! You can't. Please. I love you" Spencer spoke now worrying of what Ashley was going to do next.

Ashley looked into Spencer's tear filled eyes. She rolls up the window on the side Spencer is talking through. Spencer starts beating her open palm against the window.

Her words are muffled but Ashley can still hear them. "Ashley I love you. I need you. PLEASE!" Spencer was crying harder than ever before. Ashley turned up the radio so she couldn't hear Spencer anymore. Ashley kissed the tips of her fingers. And then she pointed them at Spencer.

With that and a few last tears, she pulled away from Spencer. Leaving Spencer all alone.

Spencer watches as Ashley leaves. She runs inside. Her mom is waiting.

"Where are you going hunny?" Paula spoke. Spencer looked her mom in the eye.

"To call Ashley." She spoke. Paula gave Spencer a look. She opened her mouth to speak but she was stopped by Spencer's words. "Save it mom! I dont want to hear it right now."

Spencer ran upstairs into her bedroom and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed as fast as she could. She dialed Ashley. The phone rang and rang. Spencer spoke to herself.

"Ashley pick up." She spoke in a whisper through her tears in pain "Please pick up Ashley. I need you. I need you SO much"

Ashley looks at caller ID. It says 'Spencer baby'

She reached her finger for the pickup button. But then she pulls away. She rolls down her window and throws it out into the street and watches it break.

She goes home and writes on paper. Then she goes into the bathroom and grabs a clothes line wire. She ties it to the pole supporting the shower curtains. She puts the note sticking out of her pocket. She ties the wire around her neck loosely enough to still breath.

She took one deep breath and let out one last tear. She pushed her knees out and fell, beginning to choke. She coughed. She turned blue, she hears Spencer's voice downstairs, she dies.

Spencer runs into the bathroom looking for Ashley. She falls to her knees and bawls. She tears down the pole and hopes she is still alive, but her body is already turning cold. Spencer holds Ashley's in her arm. A piece of Spencer died that night.

She pulls the note that said "SPENCER" out of Ashley's pocket and almost opened it. She changed her mind and stuck it in her own pocket.

A week later at the funneral Spencer walks up to the open casket. She places her hands on Ashley's cheek and she cries even more than she had in the past week. She layed down a rose on Ashley's casket and she cried some more.

An hour later, Spencer is the only one left. Ashley is burried 6 ft. beneath the ground. Spencer felt like the only one who came. There was Spencer's family and Ashley's family. And of course Ashley's family fans. But Spencer was the only one who cared enough to stay with her...and she didn't even accomplish that.

Spencer turned around to finally walk away and she stuck her hands in her pocket. She pulled out a peice of paper that said "SPENCER". She didn't remember putting it in her pocket. She turned back to Ashley's grave marker and opened the letter. She tried hard to read it through the blurriness of her tears.

_Lovely Spencer,_

_You are so great. I'm sorry. I know I've hurt you. But you see. This has been a plan of mine for 2 years. The day we met was the day I planned to kill myself in this same way. That explains the attitude I guess. You reached out for me and you cared, unlike anyone else in my life. But I can't have you. I wanted you so bad. But I couldn't have you and it killed me. So I decided to go through with my plan._

_There are many things you have yet to know about me. But one day you will find out. Search my room hard enough and you will find my life's history._

_Spencer, Spence, I love you sooooo much. But this is something I needed to do. I hope you have a great life. Because I know I have. But don't give up like I did. You're stronger than that._

_I need to go before you show up. I love you. I hope you feel the same._

_Love alway, love truley,_

_Ashley Davies_

Spencer set the paper down on the grave and spoke one last time before walking away. "I love you too Ashley"

A year later Spencer is walking down the street with her new girlfriend, Erica. Spencer almost trips over something sitting on the ground.

It is a pink razor cell phone, much like the one Ashley had. The way Spencer kicked it, it turned it on. She picked it up and looked at the screen.

It said "1 voice mail-Spencer Baby"

Spencer inhaled half the air in the world and exhaled it just the same. Her face went pale. She listened to the answering machine. She heard her own voice.

"Ashley. I love you. I need you. Please! Dont go" She hears her own tears over the phone and she cries in the same way.

Erica spoke with a slight sound "You okay?"

Spencer shook her head saying no. And she walked home with the cell phone in her hand and Erica forever away. She cried some more. As she dissappeared over a hill Ashley appears in all the clouds above her like a hidden image. And the clouds cry as the tears touch Spencer's face.

THE END


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